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History · Vienna

Vienna dates to 1886, and 95% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1973 on and the census since 1900.

1886founded
0on the National Register
95%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Vienna began

When was Vienna founded?

1886

Vienna dates its founding to 1886 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 171 in 19002020 census: 49140 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1886.

What stands out about Vienna’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Vienna are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Vienna’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 477 in 1920; 49 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Vienna’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Vienna’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Vienna, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Vienna yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Vienna () is a town in Clark County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 49 at the 2020 census. A large share of the early settlers were natives of Austria who named the village after the Austrian capital.

Vienna was established in 1886. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 45 to 49 (+9%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

People over time

Vienna, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 477

Peaked at 477 in 1920; 49 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Vienna’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Vienna, 1886 to 1984

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886
    FoundingVienna is established
  3. 1886Post officeThe Stusted post office opens
  4. 1888Post officeThe Stusted post office closes
  5. 1888Post officeThe Vienna post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 477
  8. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1984Post officeThe Vienna post office closes
By decade

Vienna, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-Vienna2004SDMap-doton-Vienna
On the map

Vienna on the map, 1973 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Vienna. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Vienna on the 1973 USGS mapVienna on the 1985 USGS map1973Vienna West sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Vienna.

Famous people

Famous people close to Vienna

Nobody well known was born in Vienna itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
D
Debra R. AndersonAmerican politician · b. 1949
C
Clarence GonsteadChiropractor · b. 1898
Z
Zay JeffriesAmerican engineer and metallurgist · b. 1888
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Vienna had its own post office from 1888 to 1984. Another post office, Stusted, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Stusted
1886–1888
Vienna
1888–1984
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Vienna Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Pleasant Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Vienna’s history

What year was Vienna founded?

In 1886, according to Wikidata. Vienna’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1900 counted 171 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.